Review | Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop by Jenny Colgan | Twelve Days of Christmas!

Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop

by Jenny Colgan

My Rating: 

Rosie Hopkins is looking forward to Christmas in the little Derbyshire village of Lipton, buried under a thick blanket of snow. Her sweetshop is festooned with striped candy canes, large tempting piles of Turkish Delight, crinkling selection boxes and happy, sticky children. She's going to be spending it with her boyfriend, Stephen, and her family, flying in from Australia. She can't wait.

But when a tragedy strikes at the heart of their little community, all of Rosie's plans for the future seem to be blown apart. Can she build a life in Lipton? And is what's best for the sweetshop also what's best for Rosie?

I really enjoyed Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams, in fact I enjoyed it a lot more than I initially thought I was going to, so while I was certain a Christmassy sequel would be sweet (see what I did there?) I didn't get my hopes up too high. And you know what? I loved this book.

It was a pure delight to read from start to finish. Lilian has fast become probably my favourite elderly lady in fiction; some of the things she comes out with are just fantastic, and she could make me tear up just as easily as she could make me laugh. The storyline involving Lilian in the first book broke my heart, but the storyline involving Lilian in this book shattered it into tiny little pieces. I love her.

While I enjoyed the first book, I felt a lot more connected to Rosie and Stephen in this book. As much as I love stories about the 'will they, won't they?' of romance, it's often even more rewarding to read about people who are already together, where the challenge is to make sure the relationship works rather than to see if a relationship is possible in the first place. Throw in Christmas and I'm a happy reader.

But you don't have to have read the first book to enjoy it - though I recommend you do! - because Colgan summarises it at the beginning for readers out there who simply want to enjoy a nice Christmas story, although I do think you'll feel a lot more connected to the characters if you do read the first book.

Frankly I have nothing bad to say about this book. It was just what I needed, and a brilliant read for the festive season!

What's Up Wednesday | 17/12/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

Last week I was away for my graduation for three days, and before then I was on a roll. During those three days I couldn't find any spare time to do any reading and now I can feel myself heading towards an end of year slump - which I don't want!

So I'm continuing on with some festive/seasonal reads, and right now I'm in the middle of The Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan and Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. I'm also still reading The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, which is intriguing but hasn't quite hooked me yet, but I have only read the first four chapters so far.

What I'm Writing

Right now I'm working on my PhD proposal. I'm hoping to return to university in a year or so to pursue a PhD in Creative Writing. My MA went well so I have my results to back me up, but I want to make sure my proposal's great, too. Over the past couple of years I've become fascinated with the representation of minorities in historical fiction (women; people of colour; the LGBT community etc.) and how, in some ways, historical fiction can be more useful to us than historical fact because it's often better at inducing empathy.

I've had an idea burning away in the back of my head for a few months now that I'd love to work on for my PhD, which is a lesbian retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in 17th century Virginia, featuring a Native American protagonist who is raised by a Puritan preacher with a white savior complex. It's basically a mixture of a lot of things I enjoy writing and talking about, from sexuality to race to identity, and I can hear my protagonist's voice so clearly in my head (meaning I've already written a few sentences here and there!)

What Works For Me

My journey to and from work. I don't/can't drive. I had driving lessons during my teens, failed my first, and so far only, driving test (even though I think I should have passed, my examiner was a grump) and then I started university before I could take another. Since then I haven't drove because I don't enjoy it; in fact being behind the wheel of a car both unnerves and terrifies me. I wish it didn't, but I just hate driving. Obviously since I've started working full time I need to get to and from work during the week, but luckily for me there's a regularly running bus service that only takes 20 minutes to get into town (and I can use this bit of time to read if I feel like it). 

Anyway, this is all a very long-winded way of me saying that I enjoy my journey to and from work because it gives me time to think, and when I'm walking/going on the bus somewhere on my own I do tend to slip into brainstorming mode. I've come up with some of my best/most useful ideas while journeying. Plus this journey gives me some of that time alone that I mentioned needing last week.

What Else Is New

Honestly not a lot! I had a wonderful time at graduation - thank you to everyone who congratulated me last week, it was really lovely and appreciated! - and caught up with some of my friends, and then I visited my sister and her family. My youngest niece, born in October, has started smiling. She's gorgeous.

Other than that I've just been getting used to working full time, but it's not something I resent at all - I'm really enjoying my job!

Next week is Christmas Eve so there is no WUW. With that in mind I wish all of you a very, very Merry Christmas! I hope Santa brings you everything you want, and if you don't celebrate Christmas I hope you have a lovely week all the same!

My End of Year YA TBR | Twelve Days of Christmas!

I don't think I'd ever say I've grown out of YA because I don't think it's possible to grow out of a genre that isn't meant for just teenagers/young adults anyway. I'm 23 now. I might not be as young as I was when I was 17, but I certainly still think of myself as a young adult rather than an old one.

But I'm absolutely rubbish at keeping up with the latest trends and newest releases in YA, and over the past couple of years my tastes have simply meant that I've been reading more adult books anyway. There are YA releases from two years ago that I still haven't gotten around to reading - never mind the ones from this year! - so as the end of the year approaches, here are some pieces of YA I'd like to try and cross off my TBR before 2015!
 
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: This is the book I'm most eager to cross off my TBR. It feels as though every single book blogger I know has read and loved this series, and frankly I'm tired of feeling left out. I've actually already started this book, and enjoying what I've read so far, so with any luck I'll have it under my belt soon!

Half Bad by Sally Green: I love stories about witches, and I've owned my copy of Half Bad for a while now (though not as long as another book on this list) so it's really about time I read it, especially with the second book in the trilogy, Half Wild, being released in March!

Red Rising by Pierce Brown: In all honesty I initially had no intention of reading Red Rising when I first started seeing it popping up all over the blogosphere, but lately I've been hearing so many great things about it that I want to check it out for myself. Not only that, but lately I've also been getting into sci-fi - a genre that used to intimidate me hugely - so I'd love to expand my sci-fi knowledge just a little bit. I've seen a copy of this in my local library, so with any luck I'll be able to read it soon. Plus, like Half Bad, the second book in this trilogy, Golden Son, is due to be released in early 2015!

The Host by Stephenie Meyer: Behold, one of the longest unread books on my shelf. My sister bought me a copy of The Host when it first came out - I was still a Twilight fan then and I wanted Meyer's new book badly - then I got my wake up call that Twilight is actually a pretty dangerous series, because if you don't just laugh it off and decide to take it seriously what it's really saying is 'you are worth nothing without a boyfriend'. After that I felt less inclined to read Meyer's other book, but even friends of mine who despise Twilight have admitted that The Host isn't half bad (ha, see what I did there?). Ultimately I've owned this book for six years and I really need to read the poor thing.

Do you have any end of year reading goals?

Top Ten Tuesday | Best Books of 2014!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find out everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Books I Read in 2014', and I have to be honest initially I wasn't too sure if I was going to take part this week for several reasons, the main one being that it isn't the end of 2014 yet and I could still read something that's going to blow my socks off! But I just couldn't resist the temptation to share my favourite books of the year.

(Although I did find this week a little difficult. I read a lot of good books this year, but not as many as I thought I had; I think one of my reading resolutions in 2015 will be to try and stay away from those disappointing reads!)

So, in the order I read them, here are my top ten reads of 2014 (so far)!

American Gods by Neil Gaiman: The very first book I read in 2014 ended up being one of the very best books I read in 2014. People call American Gods Gaiman's masterpiece, and after reading it for myself I can understand why. I can't wait for the TV adaptation!

Cress by Marissa Meyer: By far the best installment of The Lunar Chronicles so far. I love this series so much and I devoured this book as soon as I got it. I can't wait to get my hands on Fairest and Winter!

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers: I was fairly sceptical about the His Fair Assassin trilogy at first, but it proved to be my most pleasant reading surprise of 2014. I enjoyed Grave Mercy far more than I thought I would and absolutely adored Dark Triumph; Sybella is such an interesting character and I love Beast, too.

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks: Even if you're not a big fan of historical fiction or of historical fiction set in the 17th century, this book is worth checking out simply because it's written so beautifully.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson: Horror as it should be written. This book was so creepy and I really enjoyed reading it - I definitely recommend it to any horror fans out there!

Feed by Mira Grant: If someone held a gun to my head and told me to pick my absolute favourite read of the year, it'd have to be this one. I expected to like Feed. I expected to like it enough to want to read the rest of the books in the trilogy. I didn't expect to love it so much that just the mere thought of it still makes my heart ache. I have so much love for this book it's unreal.

The Undressed by Jemma L. King: One of the three poetry collections I've read so far this year blew me away. There wasn't a single poem in this collection I didn't like, and I'd love to see more people reading it.

Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier: This year I finally started reading du Maurier and fell in love with her. So far this year I've read two of her novels, the other being Rebecca, and while part of me feels as though it should be Rebecca on this list purely because it is such an amazing piece of literature, I really loved Frenchman's Creek. It was so much fun and pulled me out of a post-MA reading slump that I desperately wanted to be pulled out of.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: I loved American Gods, but October was the month in which I discovered my favourite Gaiman book. It's hard to choose a definite favourite between American Gods and The Graveyard Book because they're so different, but there's just something about The Graveyard Book that steals your heart and I loved reading every page.

Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop by Jenny Colgan: Not every book we read needs to be a thought-provoking masterpiece that changes the world. Sometimes it's nice to just sit down with a nice book and enjoy it. This book surprised me; I thought it'd just be a bit of festive, cheesy fun, but it actually turned out to be a very touching, emotional book.

Which books made your top ten?

The 2015 Fairytale Challenge!

Throughout 2015, Mel from The Daily Prophecy will be hosting the Fairytale Challenge!

• The challenge runs from January 1st to December 31st 2015
• The goal is simply to read retellings (fairytale or not!) throughout 2015. The book doesn't have to be published in 2015 and rereads count! 
• There are 6 different levels you can aim for:
  - Prince Charming (1 - 4 Books)
  - Magic Mirror (5 - 9 Books)
  - Big Bad Wolf (10 - 15 Books)
  - The Wise Princess (16 - 20 Books)
  - Wicked Fairy Godmother (21 - 25 Books)
  - Bluebeard (26+ Books)

You can join this challenge up until December 31st 2014 by leaving a link to your introduction post here!

I grew up on Grimm's Tales, so I've loved fairytales and fairytale retellings for years. So, naturally, I just had to take part in this challenge. I won't be limiting myself to just fairytale retellings, as much as I love them, because there are so many amazing retellings out there that focus more on folk tales and even classics and I want to read as many of them as I  can!

Here are the retellings I'd like to read in 2015:

Fairest

by Marissa Meyer

Winter

by Marissa Meyer

Retelling of: Snow White

For Darkness Shows the Stars

by Diana Peterfreund

Retelling of: Persuasion

Of Beast and Beauty

by Stacey Jay

Retelling of: Beauty and the Beast

The Mirk and Midnight Hour

by Jane Nickerson

Retelling of: Tam Lin

Faery Tales

by Carol Ann Duffy

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monster

by Ben H. Winters

Retelling of: Sense and Sensibility

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club

by Genevieve Valentine

Retelling of: The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Warm Bodies

by Isaac Marion

Retelling of: Romeo and Juliet

Cruel Beauty

by Rosamund Hodge

Retelling of: Beauty and the Beast

&

New Stories from The Mabinogion

This month I started my new job at Seren Books, an independent publisher in South Wales, who over the past few years have published retellings of the eleven stories in The Mabinogion, old Welsh folk tales based on Celtic mythology, and in 2015 I'm going to try and read them all! I'm particularly eager to read The Meat Tree by Gwyneth Lewis, White Ravens by Owen Sheers, and The Prince's Pen by Horatio Clare.

If I saw even one other person read a Mabinogion retelling I'd be thrilled; it'd be wonderful to see everyone reading retellings that aren't the typical Grimm's Fairy Tales retellings.

If you'd like to know more about the New Stories from The Mabinogion series, you can find out more here!

Are you taking part in the challenge throughout 2015?

Winter Historical Fiction Recommendations | Twelve Days of Christmas!

As I'm sure you all know by now, I love me some historical fiction, so today I thought I'd share with you some historical fiction I recommend reading during winter!

Burial Rites

by Hannah Kent

Corrag

by Susan Fletcher

The Winter Witch

by Paula Brackston

The Winter Ghosts

by Kate Mosse

The Tenderness of Wolves

by Stef Penney

The Bronze Horseman

by Paullina Simons

Stories & Songs #5 | Twelve Days of Christmas!

I just couldn't let the opportunity for a Christmassy Stories & Songs pass me by! As always, you can find all the songs below in this playlist.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

"All I Want for Christmas is You"

Mariah Carey

Oh, I won't ask for much this Christmas

I won't even wish for snow

I'm just gonna keep on waiting

Underneath the mistletoe

I won't make a list and send it

To the North Pole for Saint Nick

I won't even stay awake to

Hear those magic reindeer click

'Cause I just want you hear tonight

Holding on to me so tight

What more can I do?

Baby, all I want for Christmas is you

A Christmas Carol

by Charles Dickens

"God Bless Us Everyone"

Andrea Bocelli

To the voices no one hears

We have come to find you

With your laughter and your tears

Goodness, hope and virtue

Father, mother, daughter, son

Each a treasure be

One candle's light dispels the night

Now our eyes can see

Burning brighter than the sun

God bless us everyone

A miracle has just begun

God bless us everyone

Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams

by Jenny Colgan

"Stop the Cavalry"

Jona Lewie

Bang, that's another bomb on another town

While Luzar and Jim have tea

If I get home, live to tell the tale

I'll run for all presidencies

If I get elected I'll stop-

I will stop the cavalry

Dub a dub a dum dum

Dub a dub a dum

Dub a dum dum dub a dub

Dub a dub a dum

Dub a dub a dum dum

Dub a dub a dum

Dub a dum dum dub a dub

Dub a dub a dum

Wish I was at home for Christmas

The Winter Witch

by Paula Brackston

"Nos Galan"

John Ceiriog Hughes

Oer yw'r gwr sy'n methu caru,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Hen fynyddoedd anwyl Cymru,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Iddo ef a'u car gynhesaf

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Gwyliau llawen flwydd nesaf,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

I'r helbulus oer yw'r biliau,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Sydd yn dyfod yn y Gwyliau,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Gwrando bregeth mewnun pennill,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Byth na waria fwy na'th ennill,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Oer yw'r eira ar Eryi,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Er fod gwrthban gwlanen arni,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Oer yw'r bobol na ofalan',

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Gwrdd a'u gilydd Ar Nos Galan,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

The Nutcracker

by E. T. A. Hoffman

"Toy Soldier"

Enya

One toy soldier stands alone
With his drum down by his side

One toy soldier on his own
With his drum to keep the time

He keeps the beat of marching feet
He keeps the beat so true
He's one small toy for one small boy
But his heart is oh so blue

Who can mend my broken drum
Will it be as good as new

I must play when morning comes
If I don't, what shall I do?

He keeps the beat of marching feet
He keeps the beat inside
While children sleep, in dreams so deep
There's a secret he must hide

For he keeps the beat of marching feet
He keeps the beat so true
He wants to sing and hopes to bring
Happy Christmas day to you

Da, Da, Da...

He keeps the beat of marching feet
He keeps the beat inside
Someone has come to mend his drum
Now his heart lights up with pride

So he keeps the beat of marching feet
He keeps the beat so true
When morning comes, he plays his drum

Happy Christmas Day to you!
Happy Christmas Day to you!
Happy Christmas Day to you!
Happy Christmas Day to you!